


Kiss It Better

by notobsessedjustobservant



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Multi, Spideychelle/ PeterMJ is endgame I will hear nothing else, a POWER COUPLE, a SHIP, help me find my wig part 2, the look MJ gave Peter in the last scene of sm:hoco left me wigless, they will be in iw mark my words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-11 20:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11721519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notobsessedjustobservant/pseuds/notobsessedjustobservant
Summary: It really sucked being the guy who could not make a cherry knot.The only thing that sucked harder was having feelings for a girl who wants a guy who can make a cherry knot.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And she's back(;

"I'm calling Peter."

Peter was walking down the hallway and was about to enter the cafeteria when he heard Ned say that. He stopped. 

_Should I go up to Ned or-_

"If you so much as tap on Peter's contact right now I _swear_ , your balls and my taser gun will become best friends."

He decided that it would be best if he remained where he was at. He crouched down, behind the cafeteria doors, to stay clear from them. It was helpful that there were little windows on the door so he could see them perfectly. 

"But, MJ, Peter-".

"You will do _no_ such thing. He does _not_ and will _never_ know. Got it?" she glares at him.

"All I'm asking Ned is for _one_ kiss! I'm not asking to make a damn sex tape with you so can you _please_ ," she rolls her eyes, "chill the fuck out."

_Hold up._

Peter's forehead creased as he attempted to process Ned and MJ's conversation. 

"Look, I- I just need help in _that_ department," a blush appears on MJ's cheeks and she looks at the window behind Ned. 

Peter finds it cute. The window, he means, the _window_ was cute.

"And why the _hell_ did you think that _I_ should be the one to help you with that type of dilemma? There are other guys who would be more than willing to do whatever you proposed yet you came to _me_?" Ned says incredulously and his voice croaks at the end. 

He wasn't lying. He did know a few guys who wouldn't mind doing a little seven minutes in Heaven with MJ. In fact, he knew one guy who would be a little _too_ willing to do the job.

"Stop feeling so special, dumbass. Look, there are other guys, but they're gross and," she lowers her voice, "I trust you."

Ned still looked confused. 

_Ugh, dumbass_.

"You would actually help me and not try to get in my pants," MJ deadpans. Ned and Peter cringe. 

They're silent for a moment.

"Do you remember last Saturday at Parker's?".

"Yeah, so what?".

"Well, remember how I forced you guys to do the cherry knot challenge?". She raises an eyebrow expectantly at him and Ned slowly nods. " _Well_ , I was actually doing an experiment on you two," she says smugly. Ned's mouth falls open.

"I was seeing which one of you two would be the best candidate for my kissing dilemma. I couldn't do shit, Peter cut his tongue on his cherry stem, and you pretended to be unable to do it. Unluckily for you, I saw the knotted stem that you threw away in the trash can. You're not slick."

Ned wasn't that shocked. He should have known not to play with the Devil herself. _What do you expect?_ , Ned thinks to himself, _Nothing passes by MJ without her knowing. Hell, I bet she knows when the next war is coming and the precise minute she's going to die._

"I still don't get why you're asking me and not Pe-" and before he could continue MJ covers his mouth.

"I honestly dare you to raise your voice even louder. Maybe then people on Mars will get to hear you too," she rolls her eyes and continues.

"You can make a cherry knot and Peter can't. Simple as that."

Ned makes a confused face so MJ adds, "You've heard the stories, right?". He shakes his head to signify 'no'. She gives him a weirded out look and says, "Cherry knot tiers are _always_ the best kissers, _duh_. I even saw an article stating that after numerous experiments, it was concluded that people who can make cherry knots are better kissers then those who can't." MJ shakes her head at Ned for not knowing that.

"I'm not asking for a French kissing lesson," they both shudder, "Ugh, _gross_. I just want to kiss you," and she tries not to grimace, "so you could tell me your opinion on my kissing skills _and_ for the sole purpose of science. I get to know if you really are a good kisser, you get to tell me if I suck ass, and we both find out if that article is true. We go on with our lives. We never bring it up again or tell anyone. That's it."

"How am I supposed to-. How should I-. How will this even w-."

He looked so puzzled, but MJ felt no remorse. MJ was uncomfortable with her current situation so it didn't help that the only person available to help was unwilling. 

When she was uncomfortable she got angry. She was definitely going to throw her book at Ned if he so much as said 'how' again.

Peter quickly made his way through the doors and Ned and MJ look up at him. He took his seat across MJ and next to Ned. The tension in that atmosphere was choking him.

"Are, uh, are you guys okay?" he looks at MJ. 

MJ could see right through his fakeness. 

"Just _so_ peachy," she looks over to Ned and points. "Right, Ned?".

Ned just nervously gulps down his chocolate milk and makes a choking and laughing sound. 

"Anyway, have you guys heard of how hard the test in Lit is?". He tries to act nonchalant, as if the conversation he overheard wasn't confusing him, but his voice cracks mid- sentence. 

Ned opened his mouth to talk but he abruptly closes his mouth again.

MJ glares at Ned, basically telling him to shut up or die. Ned looked like he was close to shitting himself. 

"I heard that it was okay. I bet it's going to be easy. Although, Mrs. Korgie did say that with enough _practice_ ," and she looks directly at Ned with a glare," and the right _study buddy_ , anyone could be well prepared for the test."

"I heard that too, MJ. But, you know what else I heard? Someone told me that they got a 94% _without_ any assistance. In fact, she didn't use or need _any_ practice."

MJ huffs and gives a knowing smile, "Well, we all know she would have been able to get _100%_ if she just studied with the right _person_. You know what they say, _practice_ makes _perfect_." 

MJ wanted to die after saying that. But, she had kissing lessons to get so screw her rule on never using basic phrases.

She gives a sweet, sinister smile to Peter. He had came to the realization that he liked her smile about two months ago. Even with that being said, he would prefer the next time she smiles at him that it would be genuine and for anything else other than their current situation.

"In fact, _Peter_ , your good old pal since kindergarten, _agrees_ with me. I'm right, right Peter?" and she stares at him to intimidate him.

It was working. But, it wasn't working hard enough.

"I think _everyone_ has _different_ ways to, uh, _study_. Some people need others for help. Some people don't even need any practice and they get a perfect score. It all depends on the person." 

He cautiously looks at MJ.

She glares at him and huffs.

"Fine. That _could_ be true. All I know is that _I_ need a person to help _me_ ," she glares at Ned and blinks at Peter, "See you two dweebs later." 

She left the table with an eye roll directed to the two nerds in front of her before Peter could say bye. 

Ned looked more than relieved, enthusiastic even, and Peter couldn't help but feel the opposite.

 

He overhears their continued conversation in AP Government. 

At times like these, when Ned and MJ are sitting at the other end of the classroom whispering, he's extremely glad for his above average hearing skills.

He can only see one side of each of their faces, but he could see the evil look MJ had and the irritation on Ned's face. After MJ dropped Ned's pencil for the twentieth time, Ned finally spoke up. 

"MJ, please, _please_ have mercy on me. I- I don't- look, don't take this the wrong way because I'm not trying to offend or hurt you." She raises her eyebrows and uses her palm to rest her face as she looks at him. "I bet you're not _not_ a nice person to kiss for someone else it's just-" and he can see Ned wince, "I see you as a sister to me, hell you treat me just like my oldest sister." He looks down at his notebook and says, "Hence, it would be really weird for us to do _that_."

Peter can see the anger in MJ leave.

 _Shit, that was sweet as fuck_ , MJ thought.

" _Fine._. I see your point. You didn't need to call me sister material or whatever. It makes me look weird and like incestuous for almost ki-," and before MJ could continue Peter coughs loudly. MJ looks back at Peter and gives him a look of distaste. 

" _Anyway_ , I guess it _would _have been weird if we did, uh, that." Ned enthusiastically nods and MJ glares at him. "I hope you're happy Ned Leeds. I have to go on the hunt for my next prospective-".__

__Peter makes a choking sound before she could continue._ _

__This time, the sound was caused because he was drinking his water while listening to their conversation and choked at the thought of Ned and MJ kissing. It was his fault, a very amateur mistake on his part. Everyone knows you're not supposed to be drinking or eating when listening in on potentially shocking information._ _

__He can feel MJ and Ned's stare on him but Peter pretends to scan through his notes._ _

__

__He had never felt so pathetic in his whole life._ _

__Well, actually, the most pathetic he had ever felt was when he thought Liz was waving at him, but with his luck, she was waving at the group of girls behind him. He still shivers thinking of that moment._ _

__But, that was besides the point._ _

It was 12:08 AM on a Friday night and he was spending it watching the streets just in case anyone needed assistance, _while_ trying not to choke on the cherry stem in his mouth. 

__The stupid damn cherry knot challenge._ _

__Why the hell does a cherry knot have to signify to MJ that a person is a good candidate for kissing?_ _

__

__He's come to a conclusion. He shouldn't even care._ _

He shouldn't care that MJ went to Ned and not _him_ for a kissing tutorial, even if it was based on that putrid cherry knot method. 

__He shouldn't care that MJ is trying to perfect her kissing method._ _

__He shouldn't care that she might be wanting to kiss someone._ _

He _definitely_ shouldn't care that she could be kissing someone right now.

He shakes his head, _I can't care. Whatever MJ does and to whoever MJ does whatever with is none of my business_ , he tells himself, _it doesn't affect me at all_. 

__He knew he shouldn't care for any of those situations. Yet, he did care._ _

__For every single situation, he cared._ _

__He wished someone would tell him why he cared so much and why he was feeling so affected._ _

__

__He started thinking of why he shouldn't care._ _

__MJ was a female of choice words. She calls Peter dweeb, loser, dipshit, lame ass, and any other crass word or phrase in the world on a daily basis._ _

__Getting called those words, especially in the beginning of whatever non- relationship relationship they had, definitely did not make him feel all that good._ _

__Luckily, he caught on and realized she called people she deemed friends those words. It felt oddly nice._ _

__But still, it didn't mean he necessarily agreed with all the words she calls him._ _

__His least favorite phrase that MJ has ever said to him had to be when he was pining over Liz at the lunch table and she called him a 'pathetic love- sick loser'._ _

__A year later and that name was still relevant._ _

What he was doing right now, sitting on his roof and trying not to choke on his tenth cherry stem, didn't really help him on his protest against that phrase. To be honest, it only _dignified_ it even more.

_Fuck MJ's belief in cherry knots. Fuck trying to knot a cherry stem. Fuck Ned for being able to-. Wait, no, that's too harsh. *Major dislike at Ned for being able to make a cherry knot._

__He groans loudly and fixates at the bowl of cherries in his lap._ _

__It really sucked being the guy who could not make a cherry knot._ _

__The only thing that sucked harder was having feelings for a girl who wants a guy who can make a cherry knot._ _

__

__He stays there for one more hour then leaves the roof with a bowl full of used cherry stems in hand._ _

__He keeps the one cherry knot he made in a napkin and holds onto it tightly._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That you for reading!!! Don't forget to leave kudos or comments or tell me how your day is because I love those!!! <333


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wanted to try something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is _so_ fluffy. Sorry in advance for the impending sweetness.

He guesses he has a type. 

He likes girls who are smart, witty, and taller than him. He's also noticed a current trend in which he likes girls who are Acadec presidents too. 

Did he mention that he always seemed to like girls way out of his league? 

 

His first crush was on a girl named Mary Beige. She was sweet as could be, as everyone used to be in kindergarten, but she was also dating someone else. That someone else being Flash. 

Needless to say, nothing ever happened between them. Although, Peter would like to think that she would have been his first girlfriend if Flash wasn't there.

His next crush was on a girl named Tracie Morn. Tracie was the prettiest girl in his fourth grade class. Sadly, She wasn't smart or funny _or_ nice. She just wasn't a pleasant person. 

That crush faded after a week. 

His next crush was on Jane Pham. This one held a special place in his heart because it lasted all throughout seventh grade. In his preteen mind, she was basically perfection. She was in his eighth period history class and she always made the best presentations. She was smart, pretty, and witty. Sadly for him, Jane was a lesbian. 

It devastated Peter at that time. 

He finds it funny now, but the worst part was how he had helped her find her first girlfriend. Last he checked on her Instagram profile, they were still going strong.

The next crush he had was on Liz Allen.

As anyone within two hundred meters of Peter during freshman to sophomore year could tell, Peter was infatuated with Liz. 

It made sense; it was logical. She was pretty, smart, and nice. She was actually perfect crush material and it wasn't just his mind making her seem perfect. Of course, when her dad tried to kill him and she had to move away, he wouldn't call her perfect crush material anymore.

When he thinks about all of his past crushes, it makes his current situation seem even worse.

All his past crushes, all the pining, and all the mistakes he made couldn't even compare or do _shit_ to the mess of his current crush dilemma. 

In fact, he wouldn't even classify it as a crush. It had to be something else, something more.

 

The most upsetting part was how much of a fucking cliché it was. 

Boy and girl become best friends until one of them, Peter, gains feelings for the other, MJ. 

He knew it would be extra upsetting to MJ since she absolutely detested cliches.

He just knew that if MJ could hear his thoughts, she would have stomped on his foot and called him a 'fucking weird ass loser'.

To be honest, he felt like a 'fucking weird ass loser'. This whole 'crush but way more than a crush' fiasco was too much for Peter's genius brain to handle. There were no possible ways to figure her out. 

MJ was nothing like his old crushes. She was unpredictable. He wasn't able to use his past experiences with crushes on her because she wasn't like any of them. 

She could be genuinely nice or genuinely want to kill you. She could be sarcastic, infuriating, helpful, and mean all at the same time. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She didn't care what others thought.

Even though she was nothing like anyone he's ever liked, it still made incredible sense for him to like her. 

Unlike his relationships with his past crushes, in which he pined from afar and never really had a conversation with them about anything other than school- related activities, he actually became friends with MJ. Best friends, in fact.

 

It didn't happen over night. 

One day, they planned to study together in the library. The next day they planned to go to a café to get a coffee pick me up. Soon enough, Peter, Ned, and MJ would go over to each others' houses to study. 

Maybe if they just kept it at that, he wouldn't be where he was right now.

He would be lying if he said that he regretted getting closer.

 

It was the little things that made him realize it.

She did little things that made her way into Peter's heart. 

When he was stressed about a test, she would tell him to take a break and breathe. She would text him the link to a study guide or quizlet to whatever he was studying in less than fifteen minutes. 

She always acted nonchalant and added a mean comment or two whenever she did that, but he knew deep inside that she was satisfied at being able to help.

She would give gummy worms and a middle finger his way daily, profanities and encouragements before class, and food and tips on upcoming tests in between periods.

His favorite thing that MJ continually does would be how she would tell him books that he should read. 

He would read each and every one of them and he always ended up loving them. He liked to think it was because the book itself was good, and not because MJ thought he would like it or how that thought made him feel. 

 

He remembers the day that he _really_ noticed her.

It was when she had went to, as she called it, 'nerd convention' to see what Ned and Peter were always hyping up about. 

If MJ had to be honest, she did have _some_ fun. She especially had fun seeing Peter in his little costume. 

It was pretty cute. So cute that she even told him so. Her exact words were, "You look ugly as _fuck_."

The message was definitely clear to both parties.

An added bonus were the photos she got from the 'nerd convention' that were perfect for blackmail. She used them on Ned on countless occasions, but she only used it so he would sharpen her pencil or get Peter to get her her favorite tea. Oddly enough, she never had to use them to make Peter do anything for her. He just did it, and he usually did it without her having to say anything.

And before anyone gets any ideas, _yes_ , he knew he was whipped. 

 

Somedays, in which he was allowed to forget about the spandex outfit he wore occasionally, Peter would go with Ned to help protest with MJ. 

After decathlon practice ended, Ned and Peter would stay in the decathlon room and help her with making posters by making witty puns and phrases while she drew them out.

They would go out on the streets and peacefully, it was one of MJ's rules for protesting, protest as much as they could before they got tired. During protests, he could see how happy it made MJ. She would be proudly yelling at some corporation or joining in on a march and she would look so content and happy to be there, just in the moment.

It made him happy.

Selfishly, he liked to make MJ happy so he made MJ happy. 

It wasn't hard to make her happy anyway.

He noticed that she could get happy at the simplest stuff. 

He noticed the soft smile she gave him that only lasted for barely a second whenever he gave her her favorite tea in the mornings in which he knew she only got at most four hours of sleep. 

He noticed how she would say, "Shut up, loser," softer or more fondly whenever he would go on a ramble about how good her drawing of a trashcan was.

He noticed that she was always softer on him, not that she would _ever_ admit that.

He also noticed her patience with him. 

She would be mad at Peter for missing random practices without saying anything before hand, which he rightfully deserved, but, she would be noticeably less mad and glare less hard at him when she somehow knew something was wrong. Somehow, she always knew when something was wrong.

He didn't like it when MJ was mad or unhappy at him. He really did try to avoid those situations. He couldn't really _function_ if he felt that he had let down MJ. He blames it on his hero mindset and not his feelings. If it were due to his feelings, then _shit_ , he would really be in trouble.

That's what made it even harder. 

He hated knowing that she had _that_ much control on him. 

It just wasn't fair. 

MJ was always unaffected, or at least looked unfazed, no matter what Peter does, yet Peter was left yearning for life support whenever their hands barely brushed against each other.

 

He repeatedly tells himself, _This is just a crush. You'll get over it in a year. Just wait it out. You'll laugh all about this in a year or three, tops._

The thing was, he didn't really want to get over it. 

He wanted to try something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it!!! As you might be able to tell, this chapter is kind of a filler as I try to figure out how I'm really going to end this lol. For any of you guys that liked the cherry knot thing and are worried that that problem isn't that big in this story, don't worry, we'll be back to the cherry knot mess _soon_. Thanks for reading and giving kudos and comments!! They're always so appreciated and welcome. My PeterMJ sisters are the sweetest.  <333 I love ya'll!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say it had been a shitty week for Peter would be a _major_ understatement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!!!!! Super, _super_ sorry for this late ass update! You may have noticed this will be five chapters long and not four so((; Hope y'all like this.

He had this plan.

He had to somehow tell MJ that he knew how to make a cherry knot which would lead to her kissing him which would _then_ lead to her noticing him and getting him out of the complicated friend-zone but not friend- zone type of situation which could quite possibly lead to MJ falling in love with him.

It sounded better in his head.

_Ugh, fuck the friend zone._

(He could just hear her repeat their last conversation about the friend- zone.

"The concept of 'friend- zone' was made to humiliate women, give men an easy way to force women to give them a chance, and to force the nice guys finish last stereotype. I hate the last one. I mean, think about it, nice guys _don't_ finish last. You know who _do_ finish last? Guys who _think_ they're nice and think they deserve someone's attention just because of _that_.)"

_Scratch that, fuck whatever zone I'm in._

He thought it would be so simple because the objectives were simple enough.

He knew he shouldn't use simple with MJ.

 

His first attempt was a bust. 

"Got it?" he looks at Ned nervously.

Ned gives him a look. "All I say is 'Hey, MJ, guess what I found out. The guy who's been pining over you for this whole year, which you've been _incredibly_ oblivious about, learned how to make a cherry knot and-" he stops talking after seeing Peter's glare.

"God, stop doing that," and he raises his palms, "Who knows if you can shoot some weird shit from your eyes, I do _not_ want to be the first to know," he sighs. 

He feels bad for his friend. He gets nervous easily so this must be giving him a heart attack. "If you _weren't_ glaring at me, you would have heard me say 'just kidding' because you know I'd never say that." 

Peter raises an eyebrow. 

Ned can't keep secrets for shit. 

It was a wonder how he could keep Peter being Spider- Man a secret.

"Okay, fine. _Sheesh_. At least, I wouldn't say it _on purpose_. And, I'm going to try my _hardest_ to not spill anything because I know how important this whole weird ass relationship that's not a relationship you have with MJ is to you so I won't screw it up."

"I don't think I've said it yet but, thank you, thank you for doing this." He genuinely does appreciate Ned for doing this for him.

"Yeah, you _haven't_ ," he puts extra emphasis on 'haven't' and says it extra drily since he had been waiting for his appreciation for a while, "but I'll accept it now."

The bell signaling the end of their last period rang. 

It was game time.

"Remember, say I can do it. _Don't_ say how many hours I've spent trying to do it and make sure she thinks that I don't know that you know that I can and that I don't know that you told her that I can," Peter nods his head slowly to signal Ned to nod with him.

Ned looked confused.

"Um, I'm just going to stick with the casual 'Hey MJ, I have an answer to your kissing dilemma: Peter Parker. He told me he tried making one again and he _miraculously_ got one. I think he should be added to your list of suitable cherry knotters.'".

"That's-".

"What the hell are you two losers talking about?" MJ said as she walked up to them with a bored look.

"Nuh- Nothing just, um, testosterone?" and his voice cracks at the end.

 _Smooth_ , Ned thinks, _Damn, I hope he never talks to a girl that I like or else she will be absolutely stolen by Peter's confidence and smoothness._

_I'm honestly the funniest person I know._

Ned tries not to laugh at Peter's blush and MJ's disgusted face.

"Okay," and she gives a weirded out look to Peter, "let's go?".

They noticed after a couple after school study sessions that they all went on the same subway home so they had an unsaid agreement to just go together.

"I- I have to go to my internship right now, I'm really _really_ sorry," and Peter scurries off to the exit. 

If he looked back, he would have seen MJ's frown and her disappointment.

"Okay, whatever. Let's go, Ned?". She looks at Ned and nods off to the exit with a slightly hurt look on her face.

 

Ned may be unable to keep a lie but he was _way_ more observant than people credited him for.

He noticed the disappointed look MJ had for barely two seconds before she gave a look of indifference and a frown.

He also noticed the _thing_ MJ had for Peter.

It wasn't hard to notice. It was _extremely_ obvious. 

He didn't know why Peter was so blind. It showed in everything MJ did that included Peter.

The way MJ would be way nicer to Peter than anyone else. Although, she still wasn't nice.

The way she could actually be _thoughtful_ and _worried_ about him.

The way she could curse and berate Peter yet _still_ make Peter smile more than any of _his_ own jokes is beyond him.

The way she always did little extra things for Peter that she would never, _ever_ do for him.

_The devil can really have feelings._

He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited for them. 

_Wait, shit._

_If they get together then I'm the third wheel._

He shivers just thinking about it and thinks, _Gross._

 

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Ned looks at MJ as she swipes her card to get into the station.

"Technically you already did but, sure, go at it." She shrugs and walks to the platform.

"How long have you liked Peter?".

With that, MJ stills. 

"I-".

"You don't have to admit anything. I won't say anything to Peter if you do or don't. I just-" he shakes his head, "Shit, I'm sorry, MJ, I shouldn't ha-".

"I don't know." She says it so quietly that's she's unsure if she said anything at all.

His mouth drops.

"I don't know," she repeats louder, "He- he crept up on me," she gives a look of distaste and continues, "See, this is why I shouldn't _feel_ this type of shit. I become someone else, this- this _emotional_ sap." 

She shivers and Ned tries not to laugh at her dramaticness. "It makes everything _weird_ , makes me _weird_ , and everything gets _complicated_ and-". 

She gives him an exasperated look. "I don't like this. Not one bit. I liked it more when I didn't think of him as anything more than a friend. I didn't care about anything and now I care about _everything_. It's so fucking lame," she adds a frustrated groan. "I want to stab myself in the cornea for becoming the teeny bopper stereotype I always hated."

She frowns. "I- I know he doesn't like me." Ned opens his mouth to say something, _anything_ to enlighten MJ without exposing Peter.

_How is this girl so oblivious?_

"Before you say," and she lowers her voice, "'Oh my God, _no_ , MJ you have a chance.' No, no I _don't_. You don't think I've spent _hours_ trying to do the math. I can tell Peter likes me. I'm not blind."

Ned feels like passing out. 

"But, it's just that, a _like_. He's not as much in-" she paused thinking of a word to use, " _like_ with me as I am with him and that sucks ass, I admit, but, it's _okay_. See, Peter likes the pretty, smart, and nice girls. I'll never fit that model and I'll never force myself to."

Ned stood at the platform with his jaw to the ground.

"Look dweeb, I know that all this probably wasn't _that_ shocking to you and you probably knew about his little thing for me and vice versa. I just-" she looks at her shoes for a minute.

"I just would _really_ appreciate it if you didn't tell Peter about this."

She looked half pleading and indifferent. 

It was kind of offensive to Ned.

"Dude, even though I've been friends with Peter for more than I could ever with you, it doesn't mean I wouldn't keep this a secret. You can trust me, you know." He looks away because the heart- to- heart was feeling too personal.

MJ gives a smirk kind of smile. "I know. I _definitely_ trust you, I mean, I was willing to kiss you." She gives him a look that screams, 'Duh, are you blind'.

They wait four minutes till the next subway comes and they wordlessly hop on. 

 

The next day, Peter was slightly upset that Ned forgot to tell MJ about him being a cherry knotter but he got over it. 

There was a second opportunity for redemption.

He decided he would write her a note.

A secret admirer note with a cherry knot taped to it.

Easy.

If only it was as easy as he thought. He always seemed to be underestimating MJ's reactions.

He wrote a note saying "Roses are red, Violets are blue, you're a girl with many interesting thoughts, a girl who needs a guy to make a cherry knot. P.S. I can make one," and he made an arrow pointing at the cherry knot.

Cheesy, but he didn't care.

He hoped MJ cared. 

At least a little bit. That would be very nice if she did.

 

When she opened her locker up to that, she was disgusted.

First of all, he _really_ should have payed more attention to the oxidation chapter in chemistry.

"The hell!" and she threw away the note with a gross brown cherry knot that had an unpleasant odor without even glancing at what the note said.

She stomped off to her next class leaving Peter watching from the corner saddened by her reaction.

He tried numerous ways to tell or show her that she could make a cherry knot.

He left notes behind that showed the science behind making a cherry knot.

He had slightly raised conversations about cherry knots with Ned.

He would practice making cherry knots at the table and choking on the stem due to nervousness and MJ's judging stare.

He would leave his phone on near MJ with a conversation between him and May about how he could make a cherry knot with May saying "You're so good! You can make two in one minute!".

Was he trying a little _too_ hard?

Maybe.

Each and every single attempt failed miserably.

To say it had been a shitty week for Peter would be a _major_ understatement.

_Can this girl catch a damn hint?_

Unfortunately for Peter Parker, Michelle Jones could not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Don't forget to comment and kudos and tell me anything!! Love y'all<<333


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She wouldn't become dumb over love. _Especially_ because of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently updating at the airport and it's actually pretty calm. Thank you guys so so SO much I love reading all your comments and kudos. You'll never know how much I appreciate each and every on of them.

MJ didn't like to play games. 

When she was younger and all the other kids wanted to play some lame board game, she would go off on her own little world into a book. 

As she grew older, the games people played became more complex. It went from Monopoly to mind games. Suddenly, people were too afraid to tell their real feelings and be honest with a person. 

_Lame._

She did have an exception. She was willing to play a game if it was with Peter Parker.

 

If you asked her when she first started to like Peter, she would have cursed, stomped, and berated you. 

She didn't do crushes, _duh._

They were just emotions that honestly weren't worth it. 

So, when MJ, the girl with all AP classes, president of Acadec, president of forensics, and in her spare time, protester, offered to study with Parker, she knew some shit was going on.

She knew that when she offered that and she went along, something was up. Peter wasn't coercing her into doing it and she _willingly_ agreed to do it. Hell, she was _happy_ to do it. 

_Weird._

Sure, she felt _some_ tingles whenever she could feel his stare on her in some classes and _yes_ , she didn't mind them, but that's normal, right?

Sure, she would feel these _tiny_ , little butterflies in her stomach, but wasn't that some stupid side effect of the body reacting to a potential mate?

Loving and liking someone are scientific and they have scientific reasons and purposes. 

So, when she started liking Peter, she read articles upon articles on the sort. 

She knew he liked her back. He wasn't slick, like at all.

He could possibly like her as much as she does to him but she doesn't want to admit it. She knows why she doesn't want to.

She was _scared._

She knew the little hints he was giving her and she purposely acted indifferent or ignorant to it.

If she _did_ get dragged into one of his plans, what would happen? She couldn't use science to predict their outcome. 

It was just too risky. 

She didn't want to get hurt. 

She didn't know if she could bear it.

 

When she first started realizing he liked her, she was ecstatic. 

People have crushes every day, every hour, every minute and lucky for her, her crush _likes_ her back. 

At first, she thought she was imagining it. She thought she was being delusional. But, he proved her wrong it _everyday_ with just the little things he did. 

_That_ was what was scary. 

She was used to the things they did together and if they didn't work out she'd have to start from scratch. 

It was selfish, but she needed to be. 

She wouldn't become dumb over love. _Especially_ because of love.

 

A week later and Peter was still in his love drought. 

He wanted some _damn_ water. 

Each night he would sit on his roof in his Spider- Man suit, watching over the city, and eating cherries to make cherry knots. 

It became a habit.

Forgetting became another habit.

For example, he forgot that MJ was coming over to his place right now and that May always forgets what privacy is. 

"Hey, loser," he can hear her voice as she walks along the corridor to his room and he almost chokes on the stem in his mouth. 

"May said you're in here so I swear, you better be fully dressed or not jacking off in the corner once I open this door."

He blushes. He's thankful that he still has his mask on.

He can hear his door creak open.

He can hear her foot steps, light yet ready, making her way through his room. He's remembers to say a prayer to thank whoever is up there that he cleaned up his room and sprayed some Febreeze before he went up.

"Peter?" and she continues to call out his name till she reaches the door to his terrace. 

He hears her huff and her footsteps onto the cement.

Her hair is falling out of her bun at a hazardous rate, she doesn't have a drop of makeup on, and she's wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants and she has slides on her feet. She has a scowl on her face for having to come out at the cold night.

She's never looked _so_ beautiful. 

With the moon and the street lamp illuminating her face, to Peter, she looks radiant. 

He's fucking whipped.

 

MJ looks around and then she looks up. 

_Shit._ , Peter thinks. He tried to move but he's paralyzed at the sight of MJ.

Her eyes go right to left till she sees him.

 _The hell, Spider- Man?_ , MJ thinks, _Are there no other old ladies that need to be escorted across the street?_

He was waiting for her reaction.

Here is Spider- Man with his mask half off just below his nose and he's sitting on the roof above her with a bowl of cherries in his lap.

She wasn't even the slightest bit fazed.

"Have you seen Peter?".

The irony was _killing_ him. 

He thanks Tony for putting in the voice moderator a month ago.

"Um, no." He looks at her curiously.

_Why wasn't she freaking out or impressed by Spider- Man?_

"I know that this will sound weird and egoistic but, why aren't you impressed by _me_? I'm Spider- Man shouldn't you, I don't know, be somewhat _wowed_ by this?"

"You're a teenager wearing red and blue spandex who helps the occasional old lady cross the street," she deadpans.

"Not that you don't deserve praise, you do. I don't know if you remember the Washington monument?". He nods his head and she continues. "I really am thankful to you for saving my," she pauses a bit, "friends' lives. That was _heroic_."

He beams.

"Well, thank you, kind citizen." He winces.

_'Kind citizen'. The hell. You could have said ma'am, pretty lady, girl of my dreams, anything other than that._

"Okay?" and she raises her eyebrows. "Anyway, so have you seen him? I need to work on-". Her eyes glance over to the bowl of cherries in his lap and the stem in his hand.

"Wait a minute, what are you up to right now?". She looks up to his eyes and he swears that she could see right through his ensemble.

"You're making a cherry knot?". He slowly nods.

"The least I can do as a favor for saving my friends is at least teach you how. I learned how to two days ago." She climbs up onto the roof and she sits next to him. "So you-" and she shows him step by step how to make one.

He already knew how to do it but it was nice to pretend he didn't.

One tutorial and eleven cherry stems later, they both make an absolutely perfect cherry knot.

"Have you heard of the cherry knot experiment?" he asks her even though he knows she knows.

"Well, yeah, who hasn't. Actually, wait, my friend Ned doesn't." She laughs and continues, "So what?".

"Do you want to try it with me?". He's nervous for her reaction but his mask helps hide it. 

She almost slips.

He puts his hands on her thighs to stop her from moving.

_My mom is going to whoop my ass._

"Wait, what? Us two," and she points and herself then him, "will do that? No offense, but go ahead and take offense, I don't even know you. Why would I kiss some random stranger?".

"It's perfect. You don't know me and-" he was going to continue with 'I don't know you' but, for obvious reasons, he knows he shouldn't say that, "it would be for science too. You know, see if it's actually true."

The sentences he used to persuade her sounded too familiar. It sounded like the words he used on Ned in history. The only people to hear about that was her, Ned and-.

_Holy hell. It's Peter Parker underneath there._

_That little pretty ass boy is a liar._

She wants to play a game.

Kiss Peter as Spider- Man then while kissing him unmask and expose him. Afterwards, laugh, curse, and berate him and continue life as normal. 

It worked out with her original plan.

She's _been_ wanting to kiss Peter Parker.

That was the whole point of asking Ned for the kissing thing. She knew Peter was listening since she saw him walking down the hallway so she took her shot. 

And oh, did that shot _land._

"Why not?" and she tries her hardest to sound bored.

It works.

"Uh, um, okay." She can see the eyes on his mask freakishly widen.

"I- I'm just going to-". 

Before he could continue, MJ grabs his shoulders and kisses him.

She decides that this kiss was worth the planning and wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that(; I'm actually excited to finish this IM QUAKING I'm finally finishing this!!!! Don't forget the comments and kudos and that whole shebang make me happy. Love, T<33


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hell.
> 
>  
> 
> _She kisses me first. She knows that I'm Peter Parker and Spider- Man. She's not freaking out._
> 
>  
> 
> He almost falls off the roof again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll!!!!! WHAT'S GOIN ON HSKSJDKSJDK
> 
> Okay, so let me explain myself.
> 
> I was in a drought. Like, I had no motive to update this. No inspiration, no nothing:(( So, I turned it completed after C4 even though my original plan was five chapters. I've finally written, what I feel like, an acceptable ending and I hope ya'll forgive me for being MIA for a long ass time on my lil baby Kiss It Better.

She came to the conclusion that she was a genius who could read Peter and everyone else's mind so well. 

Who else could have pulled this off?

If someone told her yesterday that she would be kissing Spider- Man, who was actually little old dweeb Peter Parker, on the roof top instead of doing the history project that was due tomorrow and worth forty percent of her grade, she would have genuinely laughed. 

No one was laughing now. 

Although, there was the same lack of oxygen going around.

Making out with a sweaty prepubescent sounding nerd on a rooftop, wearing her comfiest sweat pants and sweat shirt with no bra on, wasn't _too_ bad of an excuse to not do her history project. With the way the said nerd was holding onto her thighs, it just further proved that it wasn't a bad way to waste her time.

In fact, it was a perfectly perfect way to waste time.

Damn, was this a good turn out of plans. 

If only her mom didn't call her.

 

They heard and felt the little buzz emitting from her phone since it was in the pocket of her sweat pants at an area that Spider- Man was holding onto _quite_ strongly. 

"Aren't you a bit _too_ eager?" she says jokingly with a raised brow.

Almost immediately she saw a blush appear on the part of the cheeks that she could see.They both looked down at his hands on her thighs and he tore his hands away from her thighs with a nervous laugh and a small repetition of, "I'm really, really sorry," and "It's my webs, not me". 

_How cute. No, no, how not cute. How disgusting, revolting, nasty-._

"Should you?" and he scratches the back of his neck and uses his head to point at her phone.

"Yeah, I should."

She jumps down to his terrace and answers the call.

"Yeah, uh huh." She _hmms_ to something her mom says then says, "Really? She did that?". Peter sees her laugh and say, "Mom, I'm fine! I'm just studying with Peter." She motions for him to be quiet then continues listening to her conversation.

Peter's pretty amazed at how good she is at lying. That might come in handy in the future.

She laughs at something else, "Yes, mom. No, mom. Sure, I'll pick up the order on the way home. Yes, I'll leave right now. Okay, okay, love you too," and she says it while rolling her eyes but, she smiles too and Peter can just tell that she genuinely means it when she says she loves her.

She ends the call and looks up at the terrace. 

"Bye, Peter!". He almost falls down and it makes MJ laugh. 

"Come over later so we can finish it. My mom wants me over right now because one of my relatives came out of no where so peace, loser." She gives him the peace sign and she's out.

The hell.

_She kisses me first. She knows that I'm Peter Parker and Spider- Man. She's not freaking out._

He almost falls off the roof again.

 

"Stop that, that's so annoying and weird."

Her smile definitely proves otherwise to Peter.

"My smile annoys you?"

"Yes, it's absolutely revolting."

"It didn't seem that way when you kissed-" and he looks so happy and proud that MJ can't be all too mad at him.

"First of all, Spider-" she looks at his sheepish face, "actually Peter, that was just for science."

"So the other kiss you gave me while I was entering your bedroom window, what was that?". He gives a smug look that MJ wants to hit him with.

"Purely science. You have to do trials numerous times to make sure it's reputable. Come on, Peter, you should know this. You're the good one in science here." She rolls her eyes and continues researching.

"How about now?". He starts leaning in and MJ says, "What about-".

Unlucky for them, MJ's mom knocks on the door and they spring apart.

"Yeah, mom?". She says it _slightly_ out of breath and a bit wavy. She's afraid her mom will notice and somehow find out about her recent _rooftop_ activities and beat her ass.

"Do you guys want something? Snacks, drinks, anything?".

"No, we're fine." Then she looks at Peter and smirks, "Absolutely, fine."

 

"So, that's how you do it."

They give her a confused look.

"It's okay if you can't get it immediately. Remember, Parker took hours to get it right. If I recall correctly from what he told me, he spent maybe four or more hours trying. I bet since all of you are more talented, you guys can get it quicker."

"Hey!". Peter appears walking back from the bathroom with a fake hurt expression.

"You," she looks at him and points, "shut up. Anyway, let's make some cherry knots!"

 

For people who can save the universe, the Avengers couldn't do shit with cherry knots.

Unsurprising to MJ, the female Avengers got all their cherry knots knotted in under an hour. 

What can she say, the future is _truly_ female. 

Sure, most of the guys finished in under two hours except for Steve, since he wasn't willing to take Peter's advice.

Fortunately, with the help of MJ, Peter, and surprisingly Karen, they all got it in less than three hours. 

Except Tony. Tony hadn't got it just quite yet. 

"That's right. Okay so we're going to start from the top."

He rolls his eyes and grumbles, "Why am I giving you kids the time of day? I have more important matters to attend." 

"That's very true. Why are you here?". She says it rhetorically and Tony sighs in defeat, waiting for her answer. 

"Maybe because a certain Pepper can make it and you can't? Or, maybe because Peter and Happy have a bet? What was it again, dweeb?". She shouts to Peter and looks back to see Peter showing Happy the Acadec award ceremony picture of Peter and MJ.

"I get twenty bucks if Mr. Stark can't get it in under six hours. It's been," he looks at his phone screen, "five hours and forty- five minutes."

She looks back at Stark and says, "See, this is exactly why you should be doing this. Do you _really_ want Peter to win on a bet? How do you think _I'll_ be if he wins? You can't lose because I'll be left to deal with annoying Peter, who is way happier than usual when he wins anything."

She hears Peter protest from the corner but she waves her hand at him to shush. 

"Come on. I believe in you. Just do it already. Jeez, I didn't realize that you're _that_ old that you can't even make one cherry knot. I wonder how Pepper will feel, knowing that her significant other can't-".

"Can't what?". He pops out a perfect cherry knot. MJ gives him a slow clap and Peter the middle finger.

"It's like she _likes_ to make my life miserable," Peter says under his breath while handing Happy a crisp twenty.

"What did you say?" MJ says while walking over to Peter and opening a prestigious water bottle that had the logo 'Stark Incorporation's Stale Water' on it. 

"Nothing, sweetie." He gives her a coy smile and says, "Just telling Happy here how excited we are to pass our Monthsary next week."

"Ugh, you're disgusting." 

She still gives him a smile back so he thinks she doesn't mean it all _that_ much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye ya'll, the Tom stan fandom is fucking wild lol. If ya'll know about the current problemo ya'll know I ain't stanning so, from now on, no timmydaya shipping till he apologizes and it's only daya from now on. @ Zelda, educate your mans. 
> 
> Antywhoooo, that's that((; Hope ya'll like this and appreciate this chapter and give it some love!!
> 
> P.S. I know this is damn A03 but, I still want to say that GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL!!!! and that I hope that everyone affected by the natural disasters currently rolling around (not just in the USA) is safe and well.

**Author's Note:**

> That you for reading!!! Don't forget to leave kudos or comments or tell me how your day is because I love those!!! <333


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